Hi,I am a junior in high school and I am wondering what I should do for collage if I want to become a pen tester. I am network + and A+ certified but I am not sure what collage to go to or if I should even go to collage and just get some certificates. I would appreciate any help that anyone can provide. I could also use some advice for any books that I can read to help me on my quest to become a pen tester. I already test my own computers and I participate in some war games so I have the knowledge. But I what to know how to get started as a professionWeber

What "college" do you want to attend? Yes you should go to college. You can get certs while you attend college on your free time as well. A great place to start is to understand the rudiments of security. You could read Hacking for Dummies or get yourself a Security+ book since you are familiar with CompTia. Hope this helps.

No offense taken. I am a bad speller. I am dyslexic... I was thinking of going the University of Minnesota in computer science. And then I was thinking of going to study in Japan somewhere. But I am not quite sure where. If you have any better college that I should go to please tell me. I am asking for advice because I don’t know much about colleges.Weber

It is not essential to have a degree to make it in the IT field, but keep this in mind:

Without a degree, you will constantly have to prove yourself and work twice as hard to get the money you deserve. If you switch jobs, you will most likely have to start all over again in proving your worth.

Many jobs require (or highly recommend) a degree of any type. So if you don't have one, your resume goes right in the trash regardless of how much skill you have. Fair or not, this is the reality.

Think of it like investing. A diversied portfolio may not make you the most money in a bull market, but in the long run, it will save your a$$ and eventually make you a lot more money. Having a diversified resume is the same way. So go get your degree, get your certs as well, participate in the field, get published, etc. etc. It will pay big dividends in the long run.

Hmmm I just know how seriously the Japanese people take education. I also think that it would be a good experience for me. (I am learning Japanese) I think that I would have most of my education done here but then for some diversity do a little oversees study. thanks for the site by the way weber